Band director closes book on 34-year run

All good things must come to an end, and for Linton Luetje his days as band director for the Alton Municipal Band have come to a close after 34 years.

The band manager looked back this week on his more than three decades of leading the municipal band with fond memories.

"The time has gone by very quickly," he said. "It has been a pleasant situation to work in; the people are very pleasant. The biggest thing is being sure I am prepared for them. I am close to them. Professionally, we are a very tight-knit organization."

The Alton Municipal Band performs concerts at Riverview Park on Thursday nights during the summer and at Haskell Park on Sunday nights, usually from June to mid-August. Alton residents look forward to the concert season and turn out in large numbers with their lawn chairs to witness the performances. It is a rite of summer for many in the region to hear the Alton Municipal Band.

The beginning for Luetje came almost 35 years ago when one of his former students said she understood the municipal band was looking for a director and suggested his name.

"The reason I have done it this long is it has been a pleasure to work with the people and they want to be good," he said. "I do my very best with them."

Luetje will continue to play the tuba or trombone with the band, but he will no longer lead the group. For 28 years, the Alton man taught in Florissant, Mo., as a school band director.

He started his musical career taking piano lessons at a young age. His mother, Virginia, was a piano player and teacher. Linton attended Southeast Missouri State University for his bachelor's in music and received a master's from the University of Missouri Columbia.

When he isn't involved in music, he loves cycling and has done five 100-mile bicycle races. He also loves being a grandpa to his three grandchildren and spending time with his children. He and his wife, Donna, have been married for 46 years. He has also played with the Northwinds Concert Band in Florissant, Mo., for many years.

"Linton has been a very enthusiastic director, working diligently throughout the year to give us a successful concert season," said Martha Roberts, the manager of the Alton Municipal Band. "He knows that we have a treasure in this band; excellent musicians who have put in many hours on their instruments to reach a place where they can prepare for concerts with just an hour and a half of rehearsal. He has also been very encouraging to me as manager and a friend to me for all these 30-plus years."

Roberts said Luetje knew her husband and her before they were married and has watched them raise their three children.

"Our oldest child, now almost 23, called him 'Linton-ductor' when she was just a toddler," she said. "My boys would come and talk to him after the concerts and grab a drink of his water. All my kids have memories of growing up coming to the concerts and seeing Linton. Linton leaves big shoes to fill."

For Linton, leaving as the municipal band director marks an end of an era for him.

"It's something, I hate to say it, that you become addicted to," he said. "There is some sadness ending as the municipal band director. Music will always be in my heart and soul."